by Bale, Sarah
All those years ago – when I’d been attacked – I had always wondered if it was Wyatt. Now I knew for sure. And there wasn’t a goddamn thing I could do to stop what was about to happen. Daisy’s face flashed in my thoughts. I had to end this now before she was put in danger.
“Go ahead and kill me then, you fucker.”
Smith motioned for two of the men to hold my arms. He raised the saw and grinned again.
“Oh, I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to make you suffer. A lot.”
The men turned me so my back was to Smith. My body shook as I prepared myself. The saw bit into my skin, through my jacket and shirt. I cried out as the old scar was opened again.
Smith said, “Now that’s what I like to hear. Come on, Eli, let us know how much it hurts.”
He moved the saw back and forth so the blade moved, but didn’t cut my skin any deeper. My stomach rolled and I screamed. Dumbly, I wondered if Grey was facing a similar fate. And if Smith wasn’t going to kill me then what was he going to do?
Someone hit my head again and I fell to the ground.
Smith kicked me and said, “Pick him up. We’ve still got an hour before we’re supposed to meet Wyatt.”
At some point I passed out. When I woke I was in the back of a van with a blanket thrown around my shoulder.
Smith glanced back at me. “He lives. Good morning, princess. We’re almost home.”
Ahead the gates to my compound stood open and Campbell waved as we passed. The van came to a stop near the hospital. When we got out I realized that these men had brought the war to us. And my people weren’t prepared.
Smith noticed me looking around and said, “Don’t worry. We’re only going to kill the ones who side with you.”
He shoved me forward and we headed to the cafeteria. I heard gunfire and people screaming in the distance. But there wasn’t anything I could do. In the cafeteria I found myself surrounded by Wyatt’s inner circle of men. And several of my own. Fuck.
“Well, well, well… look what we have here. Smith, pull that bag off his head. I want him to see me before I kill him.”
Smith forced me to my knees and I groaned in pain as he dug his fingers into my shoulder. I was losing too much blood. Wyatt stepped from behind his men and smiled to me.
“Wyatt, you don’t have to do this,” I said.
It wouldn’t do any good, though. He made a sound at me and shook his head.
“Wrong. I do. Can’t keep the competition around.”
“We’ve worked together before.”
Wyatt sighed. “That was before. That deal no longer stands.”
“Then kill me, you fucker. Your boy wouldn’t do it. So get it over with.”
Wyatt smirked at me. “No. Not until we find the woman that’s captivated you recently. Marianne told me she’s quite a spitfire. I have need of one of those, if you know what I mean.”
“No!”
Not Daisy! I struggled to get away as a door slammed behind me. I knew without turning around that it was Daisy. And there wasn’t anything I could do to stop her.
Now
The air was filled with the sounds of our motorcycles. There wasn’t anything we could do about that, but we turned our lights off so we wouldn’t be seen. Grey ordered the men to ride in sections. Daisy and I were in the middle where we’d be protected. In theory.
She held onto my waist with one hand. With the other she had her gun raised, ready to do some damage. My shoulder ached, but I ignored the pain.
Grey gave the silent signal for us to move forward. We rode on the east side of the highway, hoping it would be less protected than the west. Ahead I saw the old gas station. It was the last exit before the outlet mall. Everyone got ready. A light blinked from the top of the old hotel near the mall. A signal of their own or just a coincidence?
The front section of bikes tapped their brake three times letting us know that they saw activity ahead.
“We’ve been spotted,” I said in a low tone to Daisy.
She squeezed my waist, letting me know she heard. We increased our speed as gunfire rang out. One of the bikes ahead fell to the ground and I could tell the driver was dead.
“Gun it!” I yelled.
A bullet whizzed past us. Daisy shot back in return. I dodged around debris in the road. And then something pierced my shoulder and I swerved, tipping the bike over. Daisy flew past me and then was still.
“No!” I cried out.
17
Then
“Well, what do we have here? A kitten with claws.” Wyatt pushed me, making me groan. “Is she yours? Because I might have to take her.”
“Fuck you,” Daisy said.
And then there was a loud pop. Wyatt stumbled backward, red staining his shirt where he’d been shot, and then all hell broke loose. Smith lunged for me, knocking me over. He kicked me and I dodged his blows as best as I could. Gunfire rang out throughout the room and I could see that Wyatt’s men were falling fast. The fuckers who worked for me fled in true coward style.
Smith fell to the ground dead and I grinned. Then Allen stood over me, gun pointed at my head.
“Ready to die?”
He barely finished the words before he was shot right between the eyes. Daisy reached me, untying my hands. My vision was blurring and I felt so fucking weak. But I wasn’t going to fail her.
Reaching for Allen’s gun I said, “We need to get out of here. There’s more and I’m sure they’re on their way.”
We stood side by side and fought our way back to the kitchen door. Daisy cried out and I saw what caused her anguish. Bertha’s lifeless body laid on the floor, by a table, a hole where her head should be. Fuck. She was an amazing shot and had saved my life just to give up her own.
As we reached the door that led to the kitchen more men entered the cafeteria with guns drawn. I shoved Daisy through the door and locked it when we were both safely on the other side. Gunfire rang out and we both moved through the kitchen.
“We need to get to the closet,” Daisy said, leading the way.
She threw open the door and began climbing the metal ladder. I gripped one of the bars with my hand and groaned. I’d lost too much blood. There was no way I could do this. Daisy looked down at me.
“I don’t know if I can, Daisy. My shoulder’s pretty fucked up.”
“You have to try, dammit. We’re so close.”
Her eyes begged me to at least try. My injured arm didn’t want to cooperate with me and my hands were tingling and numb. The higher we went the more lightheaded I felt. Sweat beaded on my forehead and I slipped once.
“We’re almost there.” She said it like a prayer.
She reached the top and opened the panel. Juan stood above us with his gun raised.
“Oh thank god!” he exclaimed.
He helped Daisy up and then me.
“Close the panel, Daisy, and lock it.” Juan ordered as he dragged me toward a makeshift cot.
Leave it to Juan to be fucking prepared. Daisy did as he said and rushed back over.
“Why is there a cot up here?”
Her voice sounded so far away. Juan didn’t answer, but pulled my jacket off and tore my shirt open. He rolled me onto my stomach and Daisy gasped.
“Who did this?”
My head swam and I felt like I was going to be sick.
Juan answered, “Probably the same man that did it the first time.” He paused. “You’re going to have to hold him down. Don’t let him move no matter how much he screams.”
I groaned as Daisy straddled my back and pressed my shoulders down.
“Good.” Juan patted my back. “I’m sorry to have to do this again, Boss.”
Daisy shifted her weight right before Juan poured a cold liquid on my wound. Screaming, I tried to get away, but couldn’t. Black dots blurred my vision. I shuddered and then gave away into the blessed darkness.
At some point I woke up, but then passed out again. And then something wet drenched my head unti
l I had no choice but to wake up. My entire body throbbed in pain. All I wanted to do was sleep. But then I saw Juan and Daisy and everything came rushing back.
“Juan… thank you.”
For the second time, this man had saved my life.
He grasped my shoulder. “We need to go, my friend.”
I sat and Daisy rushed to my side. She threw her arms around me and I winced, but it was a good kind of pain.
“You saved me,” I murmured, pressing my lips against her temple.
“Just returning the favor.”
She helped me to my feet and I swayed before regaining my balance. I didn’t know how long I could stay on my feet, though. Juan led the way, keeping low. There was shouting from below and the horrific screams of animals being slaughtered. And then I caught the scent of fire in the air.
“They’re burning down the building,” Daisy cried out.
“They want to make sure that if I live I don’t have a place to rule,” I said.
Juan motioned for us to be quiet as we reached the ladder. Daisy pressed her head against my good shoulder. I wished I could comfort her, but I was doing good just by staying conscious.
Juan said, “There’s too many down there.”
Daisy squared her shoulders. “So we take the hard way.”
Now
I rushed to Daisy, but she wasn’t moving.
“No!”
The others kept driving, just as they should have. I ran back to my motorcycle and started it. Thankfully it was still working. Ignoring the pain from the gunshot wound, I went to Daisy and tried to rouse her. She was still and her head was bleeding.
“Fuck!”
I lifted her and carried her to the bike. I wasn’t sure how in the fuck this was going to work. I put her on first, letting her rest on the handlebars. Then I got on behind her. I pulled her against my chest, holding her with my injured arm. Luckily it was the same arm that’d been shot or else I’d be fucked.
I steered the motorcycle with one arm. At first I wobbled, but soon found my rhythm. Grey and his group were ahead of us, but the gunfire had seemed to slow down. If I could just reach them then we’d be safe. Grey glanced over his shoulder and saw me coming. He motioned for his men to turn around and then I was surrounded.
“Thought we’d lost you.”
I nodded. “Me, too.”
We sped past the outlet mall and took the curve in the road. And then I saw what was ahead.
“Oh, fuck.”
18
Then
Juan led us through a maze of pipes and air conditioning units until we reached a part of the sloping roof covered in Spanish tiles.
Juan pointed. “This is our last hope. It’s about a ten-foot drop- if we don’t fall off first.”
“But Elijah won’t be able to hang on.” Daisy’s voice was small and full of worry.
I smiled tightly. “I’ll figure out a way.”
“I’ll go first. Then Daisy. Boss can come down last.”
Juan didn’t wait for a reply and sat on his ass, scooting down the tile. When he reached the edge he turned and grasped the drainage pipe with his hands and lowered his body. He gave us a quick smile before letting go.
Daisy’s breath hitched in her throat. I grasped her hand, lifting her knuckles to my lips.
“You can do this, Daisy. I’ll be right behind you.”
She nodded and imitated the way Juan had gone down. She landed on the ground and Juan helped her to her feet. Closing my eyes I knew how this was going to go down. It was going to hurt. A lot. I slid down the tile until I reached the edge of the roof. Swinging my legs over, I jumped. Daisy gasped in horror as she realized what I was doing. But it was the only way I could get down. I was too weak to hang off the edge and lower myself that way.
I landed on the ground so hard that it knocked the breath from my lungs. Juan and Daisy helped me to my feet and I leaned heavily on them. I had to stay awake though. We’d never make it if I passed out.
“Now we need to get to the barn, if it hasn’t burned down,” Juan said as we creeped forward.
Daisy asked, “What’s in the barn?”
“Hopefully the getaway car.”
We reached the edge of the building and Daisy peered around the corner.
Her face was grim when she came back. “The barn’s still up. I don’t see any humans.”
That was all we needed to know.
Juan said, “I’ll go first.”
He pushed past us and cursed.
Holding on to Daisy, I asked, “That bad, huh?”
She nodded. Together we followed Juan toward the barn. A zombie feasted on a fallen horse. Bile rose up my throat.
“Where is everyone?” Daisy asked as she looked around.
“They’ve taken everything they could so there isn’t a reason to stick around to see the Dead invade,” Juan said.
Moving was nearly impossible for me now. Juan opened the barn door and relief spread throughout my body when I saw my GTO.
“Key’s on the beam,” I said, climbing into the backseat.
I’d done everything I could do. And now I could let the darkness take over once again. The car jerked forward and I fell back against the seat.
Juan said to Daisy, “You did good tonight.”
She smiled. “You did, too. I had no idea you were such a badass.”
He answered, “I learned from the best.”
His voice sounded far away and then there was nothing.
Now
Ahead was a group of men. With guns pointed at us. Again.
“Shit!”
One of the men with the group raised a white cloth in the air. We slowed down, stopping a safe distance from them.
The man with the cloth asked, “What is your business in this area?”
“We’re heading toward Ft. Worth.”
“Ft. Worth burned to the ground. There’s nothing there.”
I didn’t believe him.
I said, “I’d like to see it for myself then.”
“Or your group could stay here and join us. We have plenty of room and supplies. All we ask is that you fight for us.”
This sounded all too familiar.
I shook my head. “I thank you for the offer. If any of my group wants to stay, then they can. But I’m heading onward.”
The man nodded. “Fair enough.”
I turned to my group. “It’s your choice.”
A woman and man eyed each other. She said, “We’re going to stay here. There’s nothing for us in Ft. Worth and this might not be a bad place.”
Kat frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I am. Thank you for getting us out alive.”
I turned to the man. “Two of my people would like to stay.”
He smiled. “For that we thank you. You’ll find some supplies ahead on the side of the road. Take what you need.”
The group moved so the road was open. Grey gave me a wary look as we took off. True to the man’s word there was a pile of supplies ahead. We drove past it. I wasn’t dumb – nothing was free in this world. One of the men stopped and went to the pile. And then there was a loud explosion.
Grey rolled his eyes at me. “Fucking idiot.”
We sped away, leaving Gainesville behind. Daisy still hadn’t stirred and I was starting to get worried.
“Please wake up, baby.” I begged.
19
Then
I wasn’t sure how long I was out, but when I finally woke up Daisy was cradled against me. A loud scraping sound startled her and she jumped, sending a searing pain in my arm. A biter pressed against the window as sunlight filtered in behind it. Daisy looked down and realized I was awake.
“Hi.”
She smiled at me. “Hi.”
“How long was I out?”
“Long enough.”
She moved so I could sit up. I winced in pain, looking down at my bare chest. Bit and pieces of the night before came back.
“I
remember Juan helping. Did he-”
“No. There was a huge horde at the hospital.”
I nodded and said, “But we’re here and alive. That’s what matters.”
“Yes, that’s what matters.”
“And now we head toward Texas.”
She paused. “And if there’s nothing there?”
I pulled her against my chest, holding her close.
“Then we keep moving until we find a new home. As long as we’re together everything will be fine.”
We both knew that things might not be easy, but as long as we had each other then we’d find a way to survive. She caressed my cheek before kissing me.
“Thank you, Elijah.”
“For what?”
“For saving me.”
I kissed her back. “You’ve got it all wrong, Daisy. You saved me. I was dead inside, but you changed everything.”
We stayed cuddled in each other’s arms for a bit longer before moving to the front seat. I held her hand as she started the car.
“Ready for this?”
She kissed my knuckles. “I’m ready for anything as long as you’re here.”
Now
We rode until the sun made it so hot that mirages appeared on the road. Finally, I motioned for the group to pull over. Kat was at my side in an instant.
“Has she woken up at all?”
“She stirred once.”
I was fucking worried. Kat grabbed a small bag and pulled out smelling salts. She waved them under Daisy’s nose and Daisy blinked, waking.
“Thank God,” I exclaimed, kissing Daisy’s head.
Grey rubbed Kat’s shoulder. “Look at my old lady being prepared.”
Daisy grinned at me and everything felt so fucking right in that moment.
“We’re about an hour away from Ft. Worth,” I said to Daisy.
The color returned to her face as she sat up. “Then what are we stopping for?”